Tell Your Children...

July 10

Evening "Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation." Joel 1:3   In this simple way, by God's grace, a living testimony for truth is always to be kept alive in the land--the beloved of the Lord are to hand down their witness for the gospel, and the covenant to their heirs, and these again to their next descendants. This is our first duty, we are to begin at the family hearth: he is a bad preacher who does not commence his ministry at home. The heathen are to be sought by all means, and the highways and hedges are to be searched, but home has a prior claim, and woe unto those who reverse the order of the Lord's arrangements. To teach our children is a personal duty; we cannot delegate it to Sunday school teachers, or other friendly aids; these can assist us, but cannot deliver us from the sacred obligation; proxies and sponsors are wicked devices in this case: mothers and fathers must, like Abraham, command their households in the fear of God, and talk with their offspring concerning the wondrous works of the Most High. Parental teaching is a natural duty--who so fit to look to the child's well-being as those who are the authors of his actual being? To neglect the instruction of our offspring is worse than brutish. Family religion is necessary for the nation, for the family itself, and for the church of God. By a thousand plots Popery is covertly advancing in our land, and one of the most effectual means for resisting its inroads is left almost neglected, namely, the instruction of children in the faith. Would that parents would awaken to a sense of the importance of this matter. It is a pleasant duty to talk of Jesus to our sons and daughters, and the more so because it has often proved to be an accepted work, for God has saved the children through the parents' prayers and admonitions. May every house into which this volume shall come honour the Lord and receive his smile. (taken from July 11 Evening reading in Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon) Too many Christian parents are naive when it comes to the dangers facing their children when they go to school or off to college. We must prepare our children to grow up and live godly. The Bible is very clear about the father's responsibility to his children. (See Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Psalm 78, Proverbs 4, Ephesians 6:1-4). The faith cannot be assumed, we must be intentional in passing it on to the next generation.  They must have real faith, they must know what they believe and why. You had better believe that the devil and the world are going to be intentional in trying to lead your child down the wrong path. "The reality is that when you now come to America’s colleges you have to know who you are or else someone will tell you who you are. There is so much pressure on students to drop certain beliefs, and it is very difficult to stop dropping other beliefs once you give in."  Don't let your kids go into battle unequipped!  Sunday religion will not get the job done. Come on Dad, get in the battle. Your kids are worth fighting for! Soli Deo Gloria, allan

The Family

23 Then the man said,"This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Gen 2:23-24 (ESV)

4  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Heb 13:4 (ESV)

The Baptist Faith & Message

XVIII. The Family


God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7. 
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The modern secular concept of the family is largely driven by sociological theories and assumes that marriage and the traditional family structure are merely the products of human social evolution. Thus, proponents of the secular view believe that because the family is simply a sociological development, it can be renegotiated and restructured to meet modern expectations.

Christians must insist otherwise. We believe marriage, which was instituted by God before the fall, was a central part of God's design for humanity from the beginning (see Genesis 2:23-24). Furthermore, we believe the family, consisting of a mother, a father, and their children, reflects God's glory in the right ordering of civilization and society.

In our confused times many people celebrate what is described as a diversity of family forms. Although Christians recognize that families can experience brokenness, we must also assert that God's purpose and intention are that we build, nurture and respect  ties of marriage, blood and adoption. The family is not a laboratory for social experimentation but an arena in which God's glory is shown to the world in the right ordering of human relationships. ...

The primary responsibilities of nurturing the family and raising children are assigned to the husband and wife. Children are also assigned responsibility to honor and obey their parents, for this is pleasing to the God and is a testimony to God's loving purpose for the family.
We live in a time when the definition of family is a matter of political and social controversy and when the culture is confused about the definition of marriage. Christians bear the unique responsibility to tell the truth, to live the truth, and to bear witness to God's loving intention in establishing marriage and the family for our good. God gave us marriage and family for our happiness and our health, but he also created them as structures of accountability so that we can live holy lives, demonstrating His character, love and wisdom as we fulfill all the responsibilities and roles assigned to marriage and the family.

Pray that God will strengthen homes and help Christian families be all He wants them to be.

from The Baptist Faith & Message Study

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

23rd Psalm Parenting by Alan Melton

This post is from Alan Melton on how the 23rd Psalm teaches us to care for and protect our children.  He co-wrote the book Disciple Like Jesus For Parents. You can find out more about this ministry and find other helpful resources at www.disciplelikejesus.com . _ ah


23rd Psalm Parenting

In addition to describing the attributes of our Lord and Savior, this beautiful Psalm teaches us much about how we are to care for and protect our children. We are to protect them like Jesus protected the twelve.  Jesus showed us how to make disciples and then commanded us to do the same.


“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Here we see the provision of the shepherd. Most parents are good at providing food, shelter, and transportation to their children. But what provision do you personally make for your children’s spiritual knowledge? What training are you providing in how to interact with others? How are you providing for them in the area of ministry involvement? What is your provision in teaching them to discern good versus evil? Take personal responsibility for not only their temporal needs but also their eternal needs.


“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” This verse speaks of rest, nourishment, and refreshment. In the midst of the dizzying pace of our present world, do you provide a place of respite for your family? Do you and your children ever stop to catch your breath in a place of safety, solitude, and peace? When God created the earth, He ordained rest every seven days. How often does your family rest? Do your children have a quiet time with the Lord? Ensure that your family gets rest, refreshment, and time with God.


“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Since the fall of Adam and Eve people have needed restoration on a continual basis; we fall off God’s path and choose our own. Like sheep we are prone to wander. All of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and we sin constantly. However, His word tells us that we simply need to confess our sins to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Lord (1 John. 1:8). Restoration allows us to get back on the path that our Lord has placed in front of us. Do you provide loving correction for your children and then restore their souls? Do you forgive and choose not to bring your children’s sin before them again? Do you show your children where you have wandered off God’s path and then received restoration from the Father? Do you lead them in the path of righteousness? Provide loving restoration to your children and lead them into righteous living.


“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” There is no doubt that in this troubled, fallen world that we all will encounter peril of some sort. Whether the peril is disease, or crime, or temptation, or simply traveling down the road, we and our children are constantly at risk to some degree. We all know that the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy. The actions that we take to deal with these perils will determine in large measure whether or not the enemy has victory over our family. The reason that no fear exists in the valley of the shadow of death is the fact that the shepherd is with His sheep and He has some tools at His disposal. The “rod and staff” mentioned here was likely the same tool with different applications. The rod was used to keep the sheep from hurting each other and to keep them within the fold in a place of protection. The staff was used as a weapon to beat back the wolves when they tried to devour the sheep. Parents, are you with your children so that you may protect them? Do you lovingly discipline your children to keep them in the protective care of God’s fold? Do you use weapons or strategies to defend your children from the numerous wolves that exist in the world? Be with your children so that you may protect them. Lovingly use the rod and fiercely use the staff.


“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My
cup runs over”. Shepherds needed to prepare new pastures for their sheep once the existing pasture had been removed of the grass and foliage by the hungry sheep. The “enemies” included not only wolves but also poisonous weeds. Therefore, the shepherd would “prepare a table” for His flock. The meaning of anoint is associated with blessing; the Shepherd’s diligence in preparation is a blessing to His flock. Parents, do you plan in advance the places you will take your children, the activities that they will engage in, the curriculum they will be studying, and the peers they will be associating with? What will your children read, watch, listen to, and engage in? Prepare in advance the environment where your children will live and the influences in which they will be immersed. Create a culture of blessing in your children’s lives by your diligent planning and preparation.


Here is the payoff for the faithful Shepherd and His sheep; for the faithful parent and her children. The children and parents will be blessed with mercy and goodness for the length of their lives. Most importantly, they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


Parents, I know that you want your children to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You would not be reading this blog if you were not concerned about the spiritual condition of your children. If you will follow Jesus in the way that you shepherd your children, you can know that you have done everything you can for your children to ensure that the Lord will grant them goodness, mercy, and eternal life. While we can’t know with certainty the Lord’s sovereign will for our children’s lives, we can rest knowing that we have been obedient to His calling.


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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

When Father Reads the Book

Happy Father's Day!
Father's Day Checkup:  Are you protecting your family?  Are you providing for your family? Are you leading your family spirtually?  Are you standing on the Word of God?  Fathers Day can be a good time to evaluate and make adjustments in how you are leading your family. Stay Strong & Stay in the Word!

When Father Reads the Book
by G. E. Foster

In these days of rush and bustle
When we hurry off to work,
I’m reminded of those early times
When father read the Book.
When father read the Book.
As we each our places took
Round the dear old family altar
When father read the Book.

O those dear old Bible stories,
Psalms that flowed like rippling brook;
Warnings, promises, and precepts
Lived, as father read that Book.
As father read the Book.
Satan’s kingdom round us shook,
And our Savior early claimed us
Because father read the Book.

O they say it was old-fashioned,
And what waste of time ‘twould look
To now take half-an-hour
To let father read the Book.
But as father read the Book,
Blessed thought in our minds stuck;
And the day went so much better
Just ‘cause father read the Book.

Oft I’m troubled as I journey
On toward heav’n with upward look,
To see families all about me
Grow up without father’s Book.
Let father read the Book,
Kneel and pray and read the Book;
Your home will be so different
If your father reads the Book.

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Thankful that my Daddy was a man who read the Book! Thankful that God and family were priorities for him. Thankful for his example, for his sacrifice, for his love for his wife and his children. I could go on and on for he was a great father. He went home to heaven in 2005 and I still miss him. Looking forward to seeing him again some sweet day! 

Soli Deo Gloria
ah


Psalm 119 - All 176 verses in Psalm 119 stress the written Word of God.  The Holy Scriptures are profitable in every way and able to meet every need in time and eternity.


All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:16-17 (ESV)

Diligently Lead Your Children To God

Diligently Lead Your Children To God

By J.C. Ryle (copied from jcrylequotes.com)

We must labor to do good to our children even from their earliest years. If Satan begins so early to do them harm, we must not be behind him in diligence to lead them to God. How soon in life a child becomes responsible and accountable, is a difficult question to solve. Perhaps far sooner than many of us suppose. One thing, at all events, is very clear–it is never too soon to strive and pray for the salvation of the souls of children–never too soon to speak to them as moral beings, and tell them of God, Christ, right and wrong. The devil, we may be quite sure, loses no time in endeavoring to influence the minds of young people. He begins with them even from childhood. Let us work hard to counteract him.

~ J.C. Ryle

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 182. {Mark 9:14-29}

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah 

Family Worship Resolution from 2010 Southern Baptist Convention

Here is the text to the Resolution on Family Worship that came out of last years SBC. More than likely you have never heard it mentioned. However, this one is worth taking the time to read along with the scripture references that are in it. Doing what I can to "promote family worship and encourage the families ... to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God."  My prayer is that this work challenges and encourages parents. - ah 

RESOLUTION ON FAMILY WORSHIP

Adopted by the Messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention in annual session on June 16, 2010 in Orlando, FL

WHEREAS, The Bible teaches the spiritual discipline of family worship for the glory of God, the strengthening of the church, and the spiritual nourishment of the family (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Psalm 78:1-8; Ephesians 4-6); and

WHEREAS, Scripture pictures the Christian home as a place in which parents are instructed to teach and disciple their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Ephesians 6:1-4); and

WHEREAS, Family worship has been a cherished Southern Baptist principle reflected in church covenants which have called believers “to maintain family and secret devotions” and “to religiously educate” their children; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, family worship has been emphasized in The Baptist Faith and Message, which states that “Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth”; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have launched major initiatives which have brought to the forefront the need for families to pray, read from the Bible, memorize scripture, and give praise to the Lord within their homes; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention included family worship as a key catalyst for a Great Commission resurgence calling on Southern Baptists “to build gospel-saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and as our first and primary mission field”; and

WHEREAS, Family worship is integral to laying a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the gospel (Psalm 145:4) and a necessary complement for the strengthening of the local church to fulfill its commission (Matthew 28:18-20); and

WHEREAS, Family worship serves as an important preparation for the corporate worship of the local church on the Lord’s Day (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:25); and

WHEREAS, In recent generations, the act of family worship has been neglected, evidenced by the breakdown of the family in our time; and

WHEREAS, The embracing of the spiritual discipline of family worship in the Christian home has the capacity to nurture stronger families, a stronger church, and a stronger nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 15-16, 2010, encourage churches and families to rekindle the spiritual discipline of family worship; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That we define family worship as the regular meeting together of a family for a time of prayer and Bible reading, which may include other activities such as scripture memorization, singing spiritual songs and hymns, and discussing biblical truth and Christian mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage families to cultivate not only structured times of worship together, but also ongoing intentional and informal conversations about the things of the Lord; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as we call families and churches to embrace family worship, we urge fathers particularly to fulfill their divinely mandated responsibility to lead their families toward spiritual maturity (Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:19-21); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all parents to consider times of family worship to be an opportunity to introduce their children to the gospel, to train their children to seek the salvation of their friends and neighbors, and to pray for the nations; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families to make use of the many resources produced to aid in family worship; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and their pastors to promote family worship and encourage the families of their congregations to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God.
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For some practical resources on family worship, see:

www.familyworshipguide.net

www.voddiebaucham.org (Family Driven Faith)

www.answersingenesis.org (Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, Already Gone)

www.radicalexperiment.org (scroll down to section on Family Worship)

www.faithbeginsathome.com

www.BiblicalSpirituality.org  (Family Worship, In the Bible, in History & in your Home)

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Family Worship: Why? & How?

"As goes the home, so goes the church, so goes the nation.  Family worship is a most decisive factor in how the home goes. 

Family worship is not the only factor, of course.  Family worship is not a substiture for other parental duties.  Family worship without parental example is futile.   Spontaneous teaching that arises throughout a typical day is crucial, yet set times of family worship are also important. Family worship is the foundation of biblical child-rearing."  - Joel Beeke

"It is highly honorable to family-worship, as a spiritual service, that it languishes and goes into decay in times when error and wordliness make inroads into the church." - James W. Alexander (1804 - 1859)

Jason Helopoulos has written a series on Family Worship at the Gospel Coalition Blog.  I have included links to the two articles below.

WHY?

Most evangelical Christians are aware of the importance of secret and corporate worship, but fewer have even heard of family worship. What is family worship? It is pretty simple. Tonight, sit down with your family on the couch or at the dinner table. And then . . . pray together, read the Bible together, and sing a great hymn of the faith together. There are many reasons for doing family worship, but let us just mention a handful.

Click here to continue reading: 11 Reasons To Worship With Your Family

HOW?



Few of us who grew up in homes that practiced family worship. So let’s look at a few practical helps that may aid our families in this new journey.

Click here to continue reading: The What, When, and How of Family Worship

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"As for me and my house,
we will serve (worship) the LORD"
ah

FROM THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 12, 2011

What Bob Dylan Got Right by John Piper

In 1979 Bob Dylan recorded the song "Gotta Serve Somebody." For those who listen with biblically informed ears the refrain echoes Paul and Jesus:

Paul: "You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness" (Romans 6:16).
Jesus: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).

Dylan's refrain:

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

This is one of the truest songs Dylan has written. John Lennon was so angry with it that he wrote an obscene counter-song, "Serve Yourself," which was so bad, Yoko Ono published an apologetic explanation of it in 1998.
To celebrate Dylan's getting this truth so right, I have written new lyrics, not because they are better, but because they are updated for my religious world.  Click here to continue reading.


Secret Church: How To Study The Bible by David Platt

TREASURE IN OUR HANDS
By David Platt

I want us to read Psalm 19: 7 through 11 together. You have got it listed there on the front page of your notes. Let’s read this out loud together.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. (ESV)

We have a treasure in our hands with the Bible. The Word is Perfect. It is Perfect. This book and the words contained herein is Perfect. The Word is Relevant. We are going to see all these things unfold tonight. The Word is Good. It is very, very good. The Word is Clear. The clear is not hard to understand. I hope that we see that tonight. The Word is Eternal. It lasts forever. Heaven and earth pass away. My Words will never pass away. The Word is True. And here is the deal. The Word is Available. It is available.

And I want us to pause for a second here and remember that we are indebted to a guy named Jerome. I don’t know if you realize it or not, but Jerome has had a pretty big impact on your life. Jerome back around 400 AD took the Bible and he translated it into Latin. It is a huge moment where the Bible was being translated into another language and being made available to more people, then came along a guy named John Wycliffe. John Wycliffe took that Latin translation and he began to translate it into English. He was accused of being a heretic. He suffered persecution for his willingness to take the Bible and put it into the language of the common people. Those who got it were threatened for even pulling it out. Then came a guy named William Tyndale. Tyndale took Wycliffe’s translation of the Latin and made the first translation of the English from the Greek and the Hebrew and the Latin, pulling them altogether. He intended to complete the whole Old Testament and the New Testament, but he didn’t finish the Old Testament. He died in 1536. He was executed and his body was burned because of his commitment to translate the Bible. His associate John Rogers completed his work of the Old Testament. His associate John Rogers was martyred. The point is this. The Bible we hold in our hands is a result of men and women who have laid their lives down to give it to us. Far be it from us today to take this Word and leave it on our door steps or on our chest by our beds at night and not dive into it and see what it means for our lives. We have a treasure that is in our hands called the Bible. It is worth giving our lives to study it. This is the Bible that we have.


Newt Gingrich And A Lesson From King David by Michael Youssef

While I am not in the business of endorsing candidates, this blog is designed to help people see events and situations not so much from a personal standpoint, but a biblical one….this one is no exception.

A number of years ago, I gave a series of messages on the life of King David of old. I entitled the series, “A Portrait of a Champion.” One of the messages in that series was called, “Champions Know How to Repent.” Even a great champion for God such as King David messed up “royally” and had to repent. ...

This brings me to Newt Gingrich. While many people have, and will continue to throw stones at the former Speaker’s past marriage failures, I am glad that Newt is a man who knows how to repent. After all, isn’t that all that each of us can do? ... Click here to continue reading.


11 Reasons To Worship With Your Family By Jason Helopoulos

Most evangelical Christians are aware of the importance of secret and corporate worship, but fewer have even heard of family worship. What is family worship? It is pretty simple. Tonight, sit down with your family on the couch or at the dinner table. And then . . . pray together, read the Bible together, and sing a great hymn of the faith together. There are many reasons for doing family worship, but let us just mention a handful.  Click here to continue reading.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Simplify Family Worship - Take the First Step and Start

Simplify Family Worship - Take the First Step and Start

(This was posted July 28, 2010 on Baptist Press, written by Don Whitney)

A man who is like a spiritual father to me began what he called a "family altar" with his wife before they were married, and has faithfully continued the practice through the arrival of children and grandchildren for more than 50 years. Sadly, it seems that few men among even the best evangelical churches today could speak of daily family worship in their home.

In the minds of some, active church involvement eliminates the need for family worship. For others, Bible reading, prayer and singing praises to God together as a family have been crowded out by the television, the Internet and a non-stop schedule that makes even meals together a rarity.

But the father (and in his absence, the mother) of the family has the responsibility from God to provide spiritual leadership for his household. As He did with Abraham, the Lord wants every father to "command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord" (Genesis 18:19). Each one should raise his children "in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Every husband should love his wife as Christ loves His bride -- the church -- and follow Christ's example of washing his wife with "the washing of water by the Word" of God (Ephesians 5:26).

While it isn't the only way, the simplest method of applying all these texts in a steady, practical way is through daily family worship. This is how generations of Christians have understood them. For instance, both Baptists and Presbyterians in the 1600s saw this biblical teaching, and incorporated identical language about the expectation of family worship into the most influential confessional statements in their respective histories. To this day, many churches still maintain (at least officially) that, "God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and truth; as in private families daily."

Somehow, though, many men have gotten the idea that family worship is complicated, or that it requires time-consuming preparation. But it need not require any more preparation than your personal worship of God. And the entire experience can be reduced to three simple elements: read, pray, sing.

-- Read. The centerpiece of family worship is the Bible. Read a passage of appropriate length for your family, making any impromptu comments that come to mind. Those with younger children should emphasize the narrative portions of Scripture, and possibly the Proverbs. Eventually, most seem to work up to about a chapter a day, reading consecutively through a particular book of the Bible. I recommend that you ask a few questions to determine comprehension, or just ask the children to repeat what they remember.

-- Pray. Let the words of the passage you read suggest matter for prayer. The husband/father should pray, and perhaps one or all the rest of the family members. Most days this will be brief.

-- Sing. Use a hymnal and sing a cappella, or sing along to a recording, or let a family musician lead the way. Sing as little as one verse, or for as long as the family enjoys it.

Any order of "read, pray, sing" is fine. It doesn't have to be long to be effective. Be patient with the interest and attention span of the younger ones. Remember that you're not only fulfilling a responsibility to God by leading family worship, you're also introducing your children to Him. In these moments together, your children can see your love for God and for His Word, and some of the most teachable moments of their childhood will occur.

So start family worship in your home today. It doesn't matter when you have worship. For some, early morning is best. For others, it's mealtime, and for still others, it's bedtime. Just start. Whether you've been married 50 years or newly engaged, just start. Keep it simple, and keep it up.

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Don Whitney is associate professor of biblical spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and author of several books. This column is excerpted from his book, "Simplify Your Spiritual Life." Visit his website, biblicalspirituality.org, for information about his book "Family Worship."

 

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah